When stacked up, junior Maddie Johnson’s textbooks and readers are probably about her height. On a scale, they outweigh her. Johnson spends hours buried in schoolwork and other time-consuming “have-to-dos”.
She is definitely not alone — so many juniors and seniors these days find themselves without the luxury of precious sleep.
“I am always stressed,” Johnson said. “But I have almost become immune to it. I have adapted to constantly feeling stressed.”
It’s no shocker some students choose to challenge themselves everyday with newer ideas, harder classes and busier schedules. Those who strive for perfection and reach for flawlessness often find themselves overwhelmed with work.
Now, with the approaching high-stakes, standardized tests, there’s even more on their plates to fret about. The pressures to excel from themselves, home and school can cause tremendous, life-dominating stress.
“Students should be careful not to overwhelm themselves by taking on too many extracurricular activities or too many classes,” Chemistry teacher Melissa McCarty said. “If a student finds himself or herself in an extreme state of stress for extended periods of time, this is probably a good sign they have taken on too much.”
The effects of tremendous stress are often not apparent, but it’s that bugging feeling that always seems to be present.
“The easy part of that answer is that [people are] unhappy and upset,” counselor Kevin Halfmann said. “If you boil right down to it’s just [that feeling of] ‘I feel awful’.”
Thought often viewed at as a ‘negative’ in mental health, stress can be a used as a motivational tool, too.
“Stress could be positive,” McCarty said. “Because sometimes it will cause an increased level of productivity.”
But when ‘too much’ is just too much, taking a break may prove to be beneficial.
“I have always pressured myself to be perfect and go at 100 percent all the time,” Johnson said. “I would just be hanging by a thread throughout the whole school year but now I am able to step back and realize how what I’m doing now is only a small fraction of the rest of my life and if I want to make it to my midlife crisis, I just need to calm down and not worry.”
Having fun and enjoying life is just one part of the solution. The other part — thinking positive and rational thoughts, is just as important. Attitude can play a crucial role when it comes to mental well-being.
“Goof off a little and work,” Halfmann said. “A lot of people fall into the trap and don’t realize that all the status in the world doesn’t take the place of just being happy.”
There’s nothing wrong with wanting accomplishment, but when striving for success goes overboard, actions should be taken to tone down its negative effects.
“Go for a walk in the evening and think,” Halfmann said. “Just think about what you care about. Look at the sky. Find that moment of peace.”
Finding a hobby may also diminish crisis.
“Reading Harry Potter calms me down so much,” Johnson said. “If I have too much homework and I don’t know where to start, I just read Harry Potter instead.”
Other ways to throw out stress include exercise and simply talking.
“Dumping your bucket,” Halfmann said. “It’s good to just get it off your chest, really talk about how you feel. There’s a cathartic affect of talking about what’s bugging us as opposed to keeping it inside. There’s something that happens just by saying it out loud that makes us feel better. [Also,] sometimes others can help us realize that we’re not ‘stuck’.”
Many times, basic necessities of life can get overshadowed by one’s struggle to achieve in all areas.
“It’s not all about being the best,” Halfmann said. “Being happy is important. Laughing is important.”
